


I know who I want to take me home

by orphan_account



Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Character Study, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Illustrated Fic, Nonbinary Character, Post-Canon, Trans Male Character, Vampires, Werewolves, light teen angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-28 11:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19811074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Trevor Garbo is a real actual werewolf; and in a strange turn of events, he's also Nat Vancey's emotional support animal for tonight.





	I know who I want to take me home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This fic happened because I really wanted to write Nat and Trevor being friends, and because I love the headcanon that Trevor's actually a werewolf, just a very small one. I know this kind of reads like a 2000's Disney Channel original movie, but maybe that's the tone I was going for. Y'know? 
> 
> Also- I'm aware that if Trevor and Nat are 16 then this technically takes place in 1997, but... I like *really* wanted to include 2000's internet culture because that's what I grew up with so just, suspend your disbelief a bit for me. Time is relative and also fake. It's fine. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Truthfully, Trevor had never expected it to actually _happen_.

Sure, he had known that things like vampires and werewolves existed, everyone in their right mind knew that. But for all his insisting and wishing in his youth, he had his doubts.

The night it happened had been an exceedingly regular Saturday night in suburbia. From his window, he could hear kids running around and playfully yelling at each other in the summer heat. A few parents sat out on their porches, lazily shooting the breeze with neighbors. It should’ve been a pretty normal night in for Trevor.

The first indicator that this night was anything but normal was when Trevor’s older sister had kicked him out of the computer room to write her science paper. Therefore ruining his usual plan of watching awesome animations of brightly-colored wolves fighting one another while music he wasn’t technically allowed to listen to played in the background.

Plan B, practicing dances from his favorite anime openings that he had saved onto his ipod nano, was shutdown by his younger sister telling him that she couldn’t sleep with his nerd music blaring from his room. Well, she couldn’t have been more wrong, he was pretty positive that the _Lucky Star_ opening was the most epic thing he had ever heard. She just didn’t understand Japanese culture.

So, Trevor had reluctantly retired to his bed and proceeded to bury himself in the manga he had taken out from the library earlier today. But only a few minutes in, he found it extremely hard to focus on the screen-toned fight scenes. He didn’t know what it was, he just felt… restless. Was this puberty? Well, it kinda sucked. If he had access to AOL he could message his online friends at _least_ , but that wasn’t an option until his sister finished her stupid chemistry paper.

It was like the whole world was against him tonight. Trevor groaned and stretched out until he hung upside down from the side of his twin bed. At least now his bangs were out of his face, that was something.

Weeks of complaining to his mom about needing his haircut had been met with frustration and different ways of saying the same thing:

_“Girls should keep their hair long. You don’t want to get mistaken for a boy, do you?.”_

Honestly, whatever, His only solace was all those cute sword-wielding anime boys with long hair. Maybe if he braided it he could look like that one guy with the metal hand. Dang, that’d be so freaking epic.

Eventually, inevitably, Trevor’s mind wandered back to his time at the Habitat. He feared that if he didn’t think about it every now and then, he’d forget about it altogether. The whole thing had been so… bizarre. Yet he couldn’t help but feel glad it happened. It was something at least.

All those interesting new people to share his theories with, that little kid whose flower shop his parents stopped at every now and then to buy obligatory flowers for each other, and best of all- getting to see Nat everyday!!

Sure, the events leading up to him checking into the Habitat weren’t exactly happy memories to look back on, and _sure_ , the entire thing had been an elaborate plot to dope everyone up and steal their teeth, but if he was honest, he kind of missed his time there… At least there his stupid parents weren’t around all the time, getting on his case about his music taste and calling him the wrong name despite _numerous_ corrections.

Urgh, he felt like he could scream. Growl. _Bark_. Something to let this energy out. Going to sleep was not an option, the sun had just set and it was _Saturday_ for freak’s sake. Gosh, this would never happen if the world would stop playing a cruel trick on him and just give him his wolf form already!

He knew he had it in him, especially since he had turned 16 last month. Wasn’t it about time? He’d been waiting since he was 13! Once he shifted into his super epic, super manly anthro form, no one at school would mess with him anymore. He could even get sorted onto the boys team in gym class!

Maybe he should ask Nat if she had gotten her vampire powers yet. Was it different for different species? Would they get them at the same time? Wait, that’d be so sick, they could like, test out their awesome new powers together! Trevor suddenly sat up. That’s it! He should go over to Nat’s house and talk to them about it!

He had read online that vampire and werewolf tensions were at an all time low right now. Plus, Trevor had forgiven all that stuff about Trencil from the Habitat anyway. Water under the bridge!

It turns out that hanging upside down for fifteen straight minutes and then sitting up extremely quickly wasn’t the best idea. Luckily, he was able to regain balance before his skull collided with the window next to his bed. Jeez, his head was spinning. What was that big light in the sky? It was so bright… The moon? Was it really a full moon tonight?

Wait- this was _perfect_! That must be the explanation for why he was feeling so restless! More evidence for his theory every day, it was only a matter of time now!

He’d transform into an enormous electric werewolf with neon markings and red eyes that change color depending on his mood, he was going to be so _awesome_ and _huge_ and _masculine and--!_

_Huh?_

There was a little puppy reflected in his window… A little creme-brûlée-colored Pomeranian… How’d that get there? Trevor cocked his head to the side a little and almost jumped back when he saw the dog do the same. Wait, why did he feel lighter? Why was that dog moving at the exact same time and in the exact same way as him? Why’d his hands feel so tiny, why did he feel furry all over--

Holy heck.

That was _him_.

...Which brought us to the current situation. After the initial excitement wore off, it began to dawn on Trevor that he didn’t exactly know how to... turn back. Trevor Garbo was still stuck as a seven pound Pomeranian puppy, with no idea what was going on or when he would shift back.

I mean, don’t get it twisted, this kinda ruled. It’s what he’d always wanted! It proved that Trevor had been right all those years, it was just that his predictions had been a little… exaggerated! Well, he had no way of knowing if this was his final form or if his was just the first stage- but still! He was a werewolf! A small one, yes, but a _real-life werewolf_!

Thinking back to all the books and geocities pages he had read on lycanthropy, the affected _should_ return to their human form by the sunrise, but he had no way of knowing that for sure.

Trevor had just been pacing back and forth on his bed with his little doggy legs for the past half hour. He was so excited, he felt like he could do flips off the walls! ...No, he wasn’t going to do that. He might punch a hole in them with his super strength that he probably definitely had.

With that amount of energy came anxiety, too. What if his parents came in to ask him to do the dishes or something? He had no way to lock the door and even if he did... they would just yell at him for it. If his parents or sisters saw him, they would have too many questions. Trevor couldn’t get tied down by an interrogation on his first night in his new form!

Then it came to him- Trencil! Of course! Maybe Nat’s dad could give him some fatherly/monster-ly advice! He’d just find Nat and ask her, the Varnnia’s lived in the same neighborhood as him. He had a plan! Epic.

...Now he just had to figure out how to get out of his bedroom.

Kicking the door down with super strength would be too loud and draw too much attention to him...

Thankfully, the window next to his bed was slightly ajar at the bottom. Trevor weaseled his little snooter in there and pushed up as hard as he could. The sticky summer air blew in as Trevor stuck the rest of himself through and then jumped down onto the soft backyard grass. Freedom at last!

Oh wow, everything was very large compared to him now. He was a tiny (but super strong and fast) dog outside in the dark, alone. It’s fine! He could totally do this, he knew these streets!

The Varnnia’s residence was only about a block down from the Garbo’s. Him and Nat took the same bus to school on weekday mornings, and sometimes they even sat together. Most of the time though, Nat liked to take a seat to herself and listen to her walkman while staring dramatically out the window.

As for the walk to Nat’s house, he opted mostly for side-streets that kids weren’t playing street hockey or shooting off illegal fireworks on. He’d like to keep his wolf form as intact as possible, and it would be pretty bad if some grownups mistook him for a stray and turned him into the pound! He was pretty sure he could fight all of them off, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

Only a few porch lights were on as Trevor reached the block with Nat’s house. He couldn’t remember what number it was, to be honest, and his little dog eyes weren’t doing him any favors.

What if they weren’t home? What was Trevor to do then? He couldn’t exactly get back into his house at this point, the window was too high! But, if he had super strength in this form, maybe he could jump really high and run super fast and then-

Wait. Someone was coming. Trevor’s first instinct was to hide, and so that’s what he did. He didn’t know if these people were a threat, but when you’re a lone wolf… better safe than sorry. As the footsteps got closer, Trevor heard two distinct voices.

“...It just makes me so mad. Why is it any of their business? It’s not even a big deal and-”

That was Nat’s voice! He couldn’t believe his luck. Trevor stuck his head out slightly from the trash can he was hiding behind. So, then the other voice must be...

“Try to see it from their eyes, dear. They are very stuck in their ways, not used to this type of situation.”

Trencil! He recognized that low droll anywhere.

“It’s not even a situation, because it’s not a big deal! It’s personal and it’s _your_ identity, not theirs.”

Why did Nat sound so angry? Were they having a fight? Trevor respected Trencil but if he was being mean to Nat-

“...I know. I wish things were different too. I don’t mean to deny you a relationship with the rest of the family-”

“Screw those stuck-up assholes. They’re not my family.”

“Well, now-”

“They’re not! And you don’t have to put up with them either. We’ll just be our own family, dad…” The voice trailed off.

Trevor froze as Nat’s eyes locked onto his own. Shoot, cover’s blown, retreat!

“Uhh..what are you doing out here little dude?”

Too late, she was walking over to Trevor cautiously as Trencil stood on the other side of the street.

“A dog? ...Gently, now, Nat. Don’t spook the poor thing or it will run off.”

“Yeah, dad, I know.” Then, under their breath: “It’s gonna run off anyway if you don’t keep your voice down.” She turned back around to Trevor, who, by all accounts, looked like a deer in the headlights. He could try to bark but she wouldn’t understand, and it might scare her off. He stood frozen as Nat squatted down and put their hand out to him.

“Hey… you’re a cute lil guy. It’s alright, I’m not gonna hurt you.” She smiled a gentle smile and Trevor found his walnut brain short-circuiting at being called ‘cute’ by his crush. Holy dang. He tried to relax and nuzzle against her hand to help her understand that he wasn’t scared of her. That’s... what dogs did right?

“Aww, yeah there you go!” Nat laughed as their hand moved to scratch the top of Trevor’s head. “You don’t have a collar... are you lost?” Trevor couldn’t answer even if he was capable of speech, the feeling of getting pet was so relaxing and nice! Before he knew it, he found himself limp in Nat’s arms as she crossed the street back over to her dad.

“What a bizarre wolf. Stinks just as strongly as one-” Trencil took note of the sneer on Nat’s face. “Albeit, quite a friendly fellow, isn’t he?” Trencil’s face fell into a kind smile as his long nails scratched gently under Trevor’s furry chin.

“I admit I haven’t seen him around the neighborhood before. Could he be a stray escaped from the pound?”

Nat shrugged as she carried Trevor up the porch steps to their house. “Don’t know. Looks purebred, to be honest. He’s staying with us tonight though. We’ll put up some flyers around town tomorrow.”

Trencil obviously knew his daughter well enough not to attempt to change her mind on the subject. They both stepped inside as Nat placed Trevor back down on the ground and flicked on the lights.

“Make yourself at home.” Trencil smiled down at the little Pomeranian as Trevor stared back with wide eyes.

Trevor had never been inside Nat’s house before. It was a lot smaller than his. Granted, he lived with three sisters and his mom and dad... Nat and Trencil only had each other.

The house was neat, with lots of bookshelves and houseplants. Actually… a _lot_ of houseplants. Huge plants hung from the ceiling and there was a potted fern in almost every corner. Some of the small trees even had red fruits and berries on them. Probably for feeding off of, most modern vampires didn’t actually drink human blood. It appeared as if the plants were almost… intentionally overgrown. Trevor dug dedication to an aesthetic, even if it made the air in the house very humid.

“Here’s some fresh water, lil dude. You must be pretty hot with all that fur in this dumb humidity, huh?” Before he knew it, Nat had placed a bowl of water in front of him. He drank from it awkwardly as they pet his head. “...You’ll get used to it. Dad just loves his tropical plants.”

Trencil had taken a seat at the small dining room table as he watched the two of them. It made Trevor feel… kinda nervous. He wished he could communicate to him what the situation was and get some advice. Trencil’s vampire senses that he probably totally had must have been acting up today if he couldn’t recognize a werewolf when he saw one.

He hadn’t expected his first time transforming to go like this at all. But it wasn’t… unpleasant, all things considered. The Varnnia’s were being very hospitable to his beast form! He was lucky he had such control over his power, he didn’t want to go feral and hurt anyone accidentally.

Nat looked up at their dad. “You know who’d go totally crazy over finding a little stray dog? That kid in my class who lives a few blocks down.”

“Oh, Meg-”

“I think he goes by Trevor now.”

“Ah. Yes, I do think he’d be delighted by this bit of luck.”

The tiny dog between them nearly choked on the water at this exchange. Nat gave a “Hey, go slow little dude.” and headpats in response. Trevor was under the impression that Nat didn’t even _like_ him, let alone that she would defend him like that! Wowie, maybe he _was_ cool!

Trencil chuckled and made a movement to get up. “Well, I am headed to bed. Leash the little beast up outside before you turn in for the night, and-”

“Dad, it’s not the 1800’s anymore. He’ll sleep in the living room.”

Trencil chuckled and ruffled the hair atop Nat’s head. “Alright then.” On his way to the hallway, he hesitated. Then, in a much more solemn tone of voice, said: “Nat... It will be okay.”

“I know, dad.” Nat gave a quick, mumbled reply without looking up from petting the dog.

“We will always have each other, you know that.”

“..Yeah.” A small but genuine smile flashed across her face. “I know.”

With a forehead kiss and an exchange of ‘I love you’s’, Trencil retired to his chambers for the night. Trevor felt the sudden mood change weigh heavy on his little Pomeranian body. He’s sure Vampires had a lot to deal with, what with being immortal and all. Still, Nat looked so sad… whatever hurt her was gonna have to pay!!

After a while, Nat spoke up again.“C’mon lil guy. Let me introduce you to some real good music.” Trevor followed Nat into the living room and watched with curiosity as Nat started to fiddle with the little stereo.

She stuck in a CD that Trevor couldn’t see the label on, turned the volume knob down a considerable amount, and pressed play. An easy piano melody accompanied by many different registers of vocals began to fill the room. It wasn’t like anything Trevor had heard before.

“My dad actually introduced me to these guys. Probably one of the cooler things he’s done.” Nat took a seat on the coach as she spoke, picking up the small dog and placing him on her stomach as she reclined. “Good music for when you don’t want to think about anything.” Nat broke eye contact with the puppy on her chest.

“I’ve been listening to them a lot lately.”

Trevor cocked his head to the side slightly. What did Nat mean by that? Were they okay? Had the signals the government emitted from their secret base below the earth’s crust messed with their emotions?!

“I just… feel kinda alone, y’know?” She hesitated, almost as if she was scared of even saying this aloud. After a bit, she continued. “...Everyone at school thinks I’m really mean, and they’re right. I’m a huge jerk ‘cus I don’t know how to act around people...” Nat’s voice shook as they spoke. Trevor could feel his heart tighten in his chest.

“My dad’s like… my only friend. Before we came across you, we were taking a walk and talking about heavy stuff... like how we’re not getting invited to the family reunion this year ‘cus of… bullshit.”

They sighed and started petting Trevor’s fur, talking slower. “Just because my dad figured out his gender stuff much later in his life… it doesn’t mean he’s a different person now.” The dog on her stomach gave a quiet little ‘huff’ in response. “Hah, you get it bud.” Nat smiled and pet Trevor’s head before continuing.

“...People are the worst sometimes. Family’s supposed to love each other no matter what..” She stared at Trevor with wide eyes, as if this little puppy had the answer to her problems. “I want to support him more than anything but, like, what can I even do? Ugh-”

Nat was crying.

Trevor… Trevor wouldn’t know how to deal with this as a _human_ , let alone a one foot tall Pomeranian. He wanted to find all of Nat’s dumb family and knock some sense into them with his cool werewolf powers! Zap them with his electricity! Turn them to stone with a glance!

...For now, he settled on licking at Nat’s palms and nuzzling her like a pet would. She let out a nasally giggle at the feeling. “Thanks lil dude.”

“I know that I gotta be open to letting people in and stuff, it’s just… I get defensive. I want everyone to think I’m cool but I don’t actually know how to... make friends.” They closed their eyes. “Like that Trevor kid… he’s super weird and annoying, but I want to be his friend so bad.”

He couldn’t believe what his little doggy ears were hearing. Nat... wanted to be his _friend_? He wanted to tell them that he wanted to be their friend just as much- curse this fluffy prison!

“Whatever, this is dumb…” _No it wasn’t!_ Trevor wanted to yell. He wanted to hug Nat and tell them it would be okay.

“Thanks for listening though. I’m glad we found you. Even if you smell, like, really bad.” She giggle-snorted and rubbed her eyes before sitting up and pulling the Pomeranian into a tight hug.

_“They are so… warm.”_ Trevor thought to himself as Nat enveloped him in their arms. Trevor nuzzled against their touch gently. He, too, was really glad that this had happened, weird as it was. It felt like the universe throwing him a bone. Even if Nat didn’t know it was him… At least now Trevor had learned something about them. Maybe now he could start to reach out to her more..

Maybe, just maybe, they could be friends.

Nat had drifted off to the music silently, her hand resting on Trevor’s back. The stereo was still playing the same album. A relaxing tune, with slow ambient chorus of the words _“It’s gonna be alright, love”_ sung gentle and low.

Nat was really lucky to have a dad like Trencil. And Trevor was really, really lucky to know someone as ultra-cool like Nat.

Soon enough, Trevor found himself drifting off to the hum of the song as well, Nat and him keeping each other company.

_“I think I know what my soul's gotta say,_  
_...and it won't hurt as bad someday.”_

__

**Author's Note:**

> huehuehue yeah i just love these emo teens.
> 
> My longest yeah boy (fic) ever! It's also my first illustrated one! All illustrations were done by me :>
> 
> Special thanks to Cawigosto on tumblr for letting me base my teen designs off of his drawings of Nat and Trevor, and to Jesse, Kristin, and Joey for beta-ing! 
> 
> Thank *you* for reading! Comments are very much appreciated <3
> 
> P.S.: The album Nat puts on is 'The Mollusk' by Ween! I listened to it while writing and I had a hunch she'd like it ;) It also came out in summer of '97, when this fic is set. Go listen to it, it's really good.


End file.
